Minutes of the Public Hearing of the Legislative Council held on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 in the Lecture Hall of the Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook, CT. ~Chair William Rodgers opened the hearing at 5:15 p.m.
PRESENT: ~Joseph Hemingway, Patricia Llodra, Jan Brooks, John Aurelia, Francis Pennarola, William Rodgers, John Torok, Po Murray, Joseph DiCandido, Daniel Amaral, and Jeff Capeci
ABSENT: ~Gary Davis
Also present: ~51 members of the public, 3 public officials and 1 member of the press
Mr. Rodgers read the legal notice for the public hearing for which the purpose will be to receive input from the public on the proposed budget and possible use of newly created right to add local questions to the referendum.
In addition Mr. Rodgers addressed several points of order.
The first was to make sure that the public realized that the time and place of the hearing was not designed to cut down on the attendance at the hearing.
PUBLIC PARTICIATION
Stacey Doyle, 16 Clapboard Ridge Road, indicated that the Sandy Hook PTA voted to support the budget proposed by the Board of Education
Don Ramsey, 3 Prospect Drive, a teacher at the Middle School, addressed the teachers “give backs” and the $1 million budget cut.
According to Mr. Ramsey, he gave a proactive “give back,” which in his case was a 20% “give back.”
“I’m happy to contribute to the school and purchase supplies on my own,” he said.
However, he expressed concern that Newtown has difficulty in providing for basic shelter at the Middle school, the ceiling is leaking and the tiles are falling down.
Additionally he said he was dismayed by comments made by finance committee members and referred tone who said that a furlough is not a give back. Mr. Ramsey said that is not true. That was a proactive give back that was negotiated in the contract quite a while ago.
According to Mr. Ramsey, one “council” member said that $1 million could be cut from the budget and Dr. Robinson would be able to maintain the quality of the school system.
Mr. Ramsey said he has seen what can happen when education is cut and said he watched the Norwalk school system get whittled away over the years by budget cuts.
He concluded by urging the town to put back in the $1million that was cut from the Board of Education’s proposed budget indicating that the town has a very competent administrators and teachers.
Furthermore, Mr. Ramsey indicated that the vast majority of the town cares very much about the teachers and the students and believes the letters to the contrary, published recently in The Bee, were from the minority.
Ron Bienkowski, 119 Berkshire Road, Director of Business for the public school systems, stressed that these are unprecedented economic times with significant challenges ahead of all of us.
According to Mr. Bienkowski, the keys to recovery are stimulus and confidence. Stimulus is evident from the federal government. National priorities are energy, education, and health care. President’s stimulus package stresses the need to save teacher jobs. Federal money has been channeled to the state to be used to hold constant every communities education cost saving grant. Preserving the commitment to education is viewed as both a state and federal priority. The additional IDEA funding is designed to enhance the programs that already exist. Grant reporting will ask the Town to list the number of jobs created or retained due to these grants
Furthermore, he informed those at the hearing that the proposed budget is $105,464,444, which is a 1.85% decrease from the current year; and the Board of Education budget is a .23% increase, an increase of $150,551. We’re not happy with this and don’t think its necessary to reduce it any further.
According to Mr. Bienkowski, the problem is in the revenues. The Board of Education revenues are down $1674 for next year, investment earnings are down $520,000, and revenue from the fund balance is proposed to be $619,306 less than the current year. To keep mil rate flat all that is required is to appropriate a fund balance equal to the current years balance. That is approximately 6600,000 and can be taken from the Town’s surplus, which has grown to more than $10 million. This is the taxpayer’s money and this rainy day fund should be used to provide needed relief when relief is needed.
“Let the budget stand,” Mr. Bienkowski suggested. “Provide the $600,000 from the healthy Town surplus an amount consistent with the current year, and encourage everyone to vote favorably. We don’t need any more divisiveness. We should be judged on what we create, not what we destroy.”
Finally, he suggests that the town put wind turbines up in High Meadow, which could provide power to the Town for buildings like the Town Hall and Reed School.
Cristina Shaul, 16 Yearling Lane, Sandy Hook, has a son at Hawley in the third grade and wants to prioritize education over other spending in the town. Additionally, she reminded the Legislative Council of all the good programs the school has to offer and referred to the town “chopping” $1 Million off the school’s budget urging them not to “chop” any more.
Sarah Beier, 7 Yogananda Street, Sandy Hook, said she knows advisory questions are somewhat controversial, and seem like a “no brainer,” but upon deeper examination there may not be a clear cut benefit to having advisory questions on the ballot.
Don’t add another layer, she said. Only if there is a statistical benefit to having advisory questions should we use them.
Ms. Beier asked that no further cuts be made, and read a letter from the PTA indicating that further reductions would put staffing, equipment and programs at risk.
On a personal note, Ms Beier said historically, there is no precedent that a defeated budget will put money back into the budget. The result has always been that more money will be taken out if the budget is defeated.
Debbie Lidline 20 Little Brook Lane, speaking on behalf of the Middle Gate School PTA. The Middle Gate PTA met and voted to support the education budget and respectfully asked that the Council make no further cuts regarding the education budget.
Kevin Fitzgerald, 24 Old Farm Hill Road, believes the Town overcompensated and believes the budget is flawed on both the education side and the town side. On education side there’s been some significant overcompensation, but without restoring the $1 Million of the education budget to the program that the impact will be very significant. Whether its teachers being let go or furloughed or a shorter school year it will be after the budget process that we find out the changes in the education process.
As a matter of concern, Mr. Fitzgerald asked that the town restore a million to the Board of Education budget.
On the Town side, he said. The budget that we see today has money included that represents an arrangement that the town made circumventing the public approval process to borrow millions of dollars, which will cost the town $5 million over 20 years to add additional funding to the Fairfield Hills Project. This is above the 21.8 million the town approved for the project at the 2001 bond issue.
According to Mr. Fitzgerald, he thinks this kind of “back-door funding” is wrong and a “betrayal of the public trust.”
Finally he asked the Legislative Council to remove unauthorized funds from town side, restore the $1 million to the Board of Education budget and if they do so they can bring in the overall increase at just about 1%. That is about a third of what it has been over the past decade.
Al Ruznicki, 169 Hanover Road, had one question to ask of the Legislative Council.
“If budget was voted down what would you be inclined to do?”
LeReine Frampton, 6 Pebble Road, wants Newtown to ask for qualification pages from local services that request donations from the Town.
According to Mrs. Frampton, if you look at the town’s side of the budget - the donations, many of the donations have one line like the library. The library says where the money is going. However, she is particularly concerned as to why town funding is going to a local daycare, Children’s Adventure Center, which was already priced significantly below the three other daycares in town.
Mrs. Frampton stated that Children’s Adventure Center is asking the Town for $30,000. However, she added. The Town is paying for their heat, electricity, and for person that cleans every night for a total of $68,000 - $34,000 they would pay; and out of the $84,000 total health insurance for employees they pay $21,000, leaving $63,000 to be paid by the Town. Including the $30,000 donation, Mrs. Frampton says the total cost to the Town is $127599.80 just for the Children’s Adventure Center.
According to Mrs. Frampton, what really impressed her was that on their request for the $30,000 they stated that half of that $30,000 would be used to pay for the 3% increase that they have to pay their employees. The town employees have been asked to take cut backs, no raises, and layoffs, she stated. Therefore, the Newtown is going to be giving the Children Adventure Center money to pay for their employees pay increases.
The Board of Finance brought up that many of other people we donate to we don’t know what they’re paying anyone else, Mrs. Frampton added. In the future maybe they should ask for qualification pages.
According to Mrs. Frampton, Youth Services of Newtown asked for 256,500. The cost of their insurance is $73k and they pay 21k so that’s another 50k. the budget doesn’t really reflect and it looks like all the town employees are getting all these benefits and we’re not. If you spend 50k on insurance for the youth services then the people should know that’s where it’s going – these are not town employees.
The library’s health insurance is $132,000. They pay back $132,000, Mrs. Frampton stated.
Granted, the library asked the Town for $1,038,000 and the $132,000 is included in that, but she feels it is done “more honestly and transparently.”
Sasha Henriques, 8 Walker Hill Road, Sandy Hook, a Newtown High School Sophomore, said she came to the hearing to stress the significance of the music program. She indicated that music played at the school has played a very important roll in her life. As an example of what she has learned through the music program she delighted those in attendance at the hearing with piano piece.
According to Miss Henriques, Newtown has cancelled the music programs in the elementary school, if we take this opportunity away from upcoming school children we are limiting their futures and making it impossible for them to go to school for music.
Jennifer Callery, 6 Elana Lane, Sandy Hook, Stated that although she and her fellow students in the music program all dressed in the same shirts that evening their musical interests were all different and those interests were met by the school’s music program.
She added that music is a language everyone can speak and voice their emotions.
Furthermore, Miss Callery indicated she has two younger siblings and would hate for them not to able to have time to practice and play their instruments.
Evelyn Fahey, 2 Shepherd Hill Road, treated everyone to a musical piece on her obo.
Kiera Smith, 41 New Lebanon Road, Sandy Hook, a Newtown High School Sophomore, said has played the Cello for the past 7 years. In support of Newtown’s music program Miss Smith highlighted several studies that compared music students to non-music students.
According to Miss Smith, the 1998 National Education Longitudinal Study showed that High School Musial students had higher GPAs than non-musicians; and in a study of 7500 students, Music Majors scored the highest reading scores among all majors. In yet another study, she stated that the College entrance Examination Board (the group that runs the SAT Tests) revealed that students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher in verbal and 44 points higher in math than students with no arts appreciation.
Marty Smith, 41 New Lebanon Road, has a problem with all of the programs being cut and reduced
Mrs. Smith told those in attendance at the hearing that she is a parent, has lived in town for ten years and has been a teacher in district for 13 years. She stated that when she first started teaching in Newtown it was very much an exemplary school district. It was a blue ribbon school with high achieving students and programs other schools didn’t have.
“Over the 13 years I’ve seen a lot of programs cut, eliminated reduced,” she said “And, I feel for the children.”
Mrs. Smith added that she sees the problems. A high school that is overcrowded, students cut out of classes for lack of space, a middle school that’s roof leaks and has poor air quality and elementary schools with poor air systems.
According to Mrs. Smith, she understands times are tough and budgets are tough, but believes the Newtown does have a contingency fund and does have a rainy day fund.
“If this isn’t a rainy day what is? When is?” she said.
Additionally, Mrs. Smith believes it would be beneficial for the school to use a small portion of the rainy day fund to offset some of the tough times because making up some of the costs in the future will be impossible.
Subsequently, she urged the Legislative Council to put some money back into the school’s budget.
Bob Merlo, 22 Ashford Lane, stated there was an E-mail floating around about a $12.7 million rainy day fund and says he was a bit dismayed that about $5 million in the fund is basically committed. For individuals to suggest there is $12.7 million in a rainy day fund is an inappropriate comment to make and pass around to a large distribution list.
According to Mr. Merlo, he didn’t hear about the $2.4 million short fall, but believes that with everything that is happening today, the budget is still as slight tax increase. As a tax payer he would rather not see a tax increase but a tax decrease because the budget has already increased 25% from $84 million over last few years to $105 million. He also mentioned that no one is taking about the “800lb Gorilla sitting right outside the door” that will add about $2 million to the project once the high school is expanded.
Mr. Merlo noted that most of people were not in the room when the Board of Finance met and talked about 95% of the budget for 20 to 25 minutes. He said he was there and the message was “reduce the budget, not come in flat.”
Mr. Merlo concluded his statement by addressing several facts he had gathered. According to Mr. Merlo, last years budget was $105,444,000. Municipal came in at $1.4 million under and the Board of Education came in at $1.1 million above. “That was an increase,” he said. “The budget wasn’t really reduced on one side, the increase was limited.”
The town asked municipal to cut $664,970 and $1 million on Board of Education side. The budget proposed was 103,196,000. To the taxpayer it was closer to 105 m because of the $2.4 million short fall on the revenue side
The only way to raise the money is to tax everyone in town, he stated.
“Keep these numbers in mind as you deliberate further,” Mr. Merlo said to the Council.
Marianne Jacob, 65 Mohawk Trial, Sandy Hook, told those at the hearing that although she is President of the Middle School PTA, she came to speak behalf of her self to address the advisory question on the ballot.
Ms Jacob said she has done a lot of research on voting trends in town, and pointed out that although we never know why people vote no on the budget, we do know there are about 2500 people who consistently vote no.
She states that by putting an advisory question on ballot the Town is going to take the people who do support the budget and split them. Some would vote yes the way the budget is presented today and some would vote no because they think its too low.
According to Ms. Jacob, it concerns her that many people don’t really understand the budget process. Choices that are made where to cut the budget are made by the Board of Education. They are the people responsible for how to execute the dollars in their fund. While, Ms Jacob said she would love for that $1 not taken out by the Board of Finance, for a budget to be passed there has to be something in that for everybody. Not everyone has kids in schools and although she is a large
Ms. Jacobs recommends that the Legislative Council pass the budget as is to the voters without an advisory question.
Judy Dubois, 7 Mile Hill Road, is the mother of 4 children. She stated that she moved to Newtown for several reasons that included the music program, the number of students in a class, and the quality of education.
According to Mrs. Dubois, the new Superintendent and Board of Education worked very hard to cut that budget and with that additional million it’s “really hurtful and it’s going to hurt our kids.”
“If we continue to cut any more, it will be hard to build it back,” she added.
Finally, Mrs. Dubois told members of the Legislative Council that she would like them to consider keeping the budget where it is or adding back into the education budget.
Chris Smith, 22 Wills Road, addressed the issue about the High school mentioning that the Town voted for the “800lb Gorilla.”
“We all wanted to pay that extra amount for that school,” he said. “When you look at this in your deliberation remember that education is a top priority.”
Robin Fitzgerald, 24 Old Farm Hill Road, told those in attendance that she was not going to speak but was inspired by the music students.
“It’s almost sad our students have to get up to advocate for their own education,” she said.
Although Mrs. Fitzgerald is in favor of adding back the $1 million to the education budget, she said she did not want to become part of the drama in town because it gets very ugly around this time of year. Neighbors wont talk to neighbors because somebody is pro and somebody is against. You have young family’s feeling bad because their kids are taking up all the education dollars and because seniors can’t be taken care of because they need services.
This year would be the best year for us to unit around the budget, Mrs. Fitzgerald added. Everybody has taken loses this year, we’re all in this same boat together, but the priority of taking care of the youngest of our generation has to be recognized.
She summarized by saying that she does think money can found in the budget, while keeping the increase low and adding back the million for education.
PUBLIC OFFICIALS
Elaine McClure, 32 Ashford Lane, addressed the 2009 Board of Education budget.
According to Mrs. McClure, the Superintendent cut the school’s budget from the status quo 4.14 budget to 2.73. The Board of Education further cut the budget to 1.74% in light of the serious economic concerns that are happening in the town. Put off doing lightning protection at the school. The Board of Finance cut the budget by an additional $1 million.
Mrs. McClure said she would advocate a yes vote at the polls, but would “love” to see money put back from the $1 million cut.
She further stated that next years education in will not look like this year’s after the $1 million cut. Normally, the school turns to the superintendent for recommendations. She is recommending cuts to Music, Art and Physical Education; and class sizes will be up.
“I am asking that we take no further cuts to this budget,” Mrs. McClure said. “If some could be restored it would certainly help the quality of education.”
“If we lay off teachers, we have to pay unemployment. The only way this budget will pass in these terrible times is if the town unites,’ she added.
Dr. Janet Robinson, 78 Mile Hill South, School Superintendent, addressed the issue of the advisory questions.
According to Dr. Robinson, she has experience with communities that have used advisory questions; and she emphasizes the point that you cannot collect the data after the vote to connect the people who voted no because it’s too low.
“Advisory questions give people a false sense that they are being heard,” she said.
Dr. Robinson added that she chose to come to Newtown as the superintendent because she was familiar with the community.
I wants to see the community united, said.
Finally, Dr Robinson said she would really hope to see the Town passing the budget, but not with the false sense if they vote no and check the advisory that its going to be raised.
The Public Hearing was adjourned at 6:40 pm.
Ted Swigart, Clerk
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